The City has approved a modular housing development, with supports, for women who have experienced homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

838 Ewen Avenue, a City-owned site, has been approved for a modular supportive housing project. The development will include self-contained modular homes with supports for women who have experienced homelessness or are at risk of homelessness. The housing will ease some of the pressure on existing shelter spaces for women, including senior women (age 55+) who are increasingly finding themselves homeless for the first time due to high housing costs. Approximately one-third of the people in New Westminster who are homeless are women.

The committee will be made up of 17 members from community groups, project partners, and two community members formally called the Community Members-At-Large. These community members will be people who have an interest in the community, live and/or work near 838 Ewen Avenue, and are not affiliated with any of the organizations who are represented on the committee.

If you are interested in a community position on the committee, please submit your completed application form by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2019, using the following contact information:

John Stark
Senior Social Planner
City of New Westminster
511 Royal Avenue
New Westminster, BC V3L 1H9
604-515-3777

Project Information

The project will convert a vacant city-owned lot into a well landscaped, attractively designed multi-unit housing project with landscaping to help transition from the building to the surrounding sidewalks and the parkland behind it.

The project is of modest scale (three storeys) and in keeping with the surrounding character of the area. It will be designed to build upon the existing pedestrian scale found along Ewen Avenue. It will include 44 units of supportive housing (38 standard units and six accessible units) and each unit will be self-contained and include an individual kitchen and bathroom. Common areas will include indoor amenity and program spaces, as well as shared laundry facilities.

The project will be a three storey modular housing building with 44 units (38 standard units and six accessible units). Each unit will have its own kitchen and bathroom. Common areas will include indoor amenity and program spaces, as well as shared laundry facilities. The operating model will include support for the residents to assist with their successful tenancy. It will also include programming and will be managed by an experienced non-profit – Elizabeth Fry Society – and staffed to ensure the residents are supported, that any concerns are addressed in a timely manner and that the building and grounds are safe and well maintained.

Funding and Program

The Provincial Government, as part of its ‘2017 Budget Update,’ is investing $291 million to support the construction of 2,000 modular housing units for people who are homeless and more than $170 million to provide 24/7 staffing and support services. This initiative is in response to the growing issue of homelessness and housing insecurity throughout British Columbia. The City of New Westminster is one of a number of municipalities across the Province where modular housing projects are being considered.

838 Ewen Avenue was recently acquired by the City of New Westminster and the City will retain ownership of the land, and lease the site to BC Housing, the responsible Provincial agency for this initiative. BC Housing will provide the modular housing units and supply the operating funds, and will also be responsible for site development costs.

Population to be served

This development will provide safe and affordable housing for women over the age of 19 with low-income who have experienced homelessness or are at risk of homelessness, and who would benefit from having additional support to maintain housing.

Accountability Framework

The project will be managed by an experienced non-profit operator – Elizabeth Fry Society – and staffed to ensure that the residents are supported. The operator will address any concerns in a timely manner and ensure that the building and grounds are safe and well maintained. A tenant selection process will be employed to ensure that residents are suitable candidates for supportive housing in a neighbourhood setting. A Community Advisory Committee will be established to build and maintain positive relationships amongst the community, the building operators and program partners.